berryjaimeNov 12, 20192 minMore on RevisingThis makes the third week of revising my new manuscript. Week 3. Over 21 days. It feels like way, way longer than that. Like years...
berryjaimeOct 9, 20192 minA Halloween HauntingEvery October I'm reminded of the time I met Joan Bauer. I'd joined a critique group and one of my critique partners compared my story to...
berryjaimeAug 21, 20191 minClimbing Mountains I’ve sort of been thinking of the journey to publication like hiking up a mountain. There are all these obstacles, but for the most part,...
berryjaimeAug 6, 20191 minTime Off Recently I took a break from a manuscript. I have a first draft. Hooray! But it needs so much work and time to make it better. Three...
berryjaimeJul 29, 20191 minWord ChoiceMy son once asked if I knew that crowned eagles ate baby cantaloupes. I never told him he'd misheard or misunderstood, and it was...
berryjaimeJul 22, 20192 minRejection Finishing my first book felt like such an accomplishment. I still remember printing off those almost two-hundred pages and staring at...
berryjaimeJul 7, 20191 minWaiting Everyone knows that waiting is part of the publishing business. But what I didn't really understand is what that's actually like. It's...
berryjaimeJul 6, 20192 minFirst Drafts What you see on the right is my picture. What you see on the left is a portrait my 6-year-old drew of me recently. He worked so hard. He...
berryjaimeMay 16, 20192 minCalling it Quits I’ve been working on this middle grade magical realism story since before my now two-year-old was born. The first draft is such a...